Chicken Puffs

Ingredients (Makes 9):

Puff pastry sheets  --   1
Egg white                   --   1 large
Chicken                      --   ½ lb
Onion                          --   1 small
Ginger                         --    1 inch piece
Garlic                          --   3 - 4 pods
Turmeric powder  --   ½ tsp
Chilly powder         --   1½ tsp
Coriander powder --  2 tsp
Garam masala         --   ½ tsp
Pepper                       --    ½ tsp
Fennel powder       --   ½ tsp
Coriander leaves   --   2 - 3 stalks
Oil                                --   1 tbsp
Salt                              --   To taste

Preparation:

Clean and cut the chicken into small pieces.Preferable use boneless pieces. Marinate it with half of the turmeric powder,  chilly powder and required amount of salt. Keep if for couple of hours and cook it until done. Add water only if required. We can also cook in a pressure cooker for easy cooking.If in a pressure cooker, add ¼ cup of water.

Let it cool and then shred it. Save the stock, if you have any.

Heat oil in a pan. Add the finely chopped onions, ginger and garlic and saute until golden brown.  Add the remaining turmeric powder and chilly powder,coriander powder, garam masala, pepper and fennel powder. Saute until the masalas are well blended and the raw smell goes off. Add the cooked chicken and mix well. Add the saved stock or ¼ cup of water and mix well. Saute until the mixture is dry enough.

Keep it aside and let it cool.

              

Follow the instructions on the puff pastry to thaw. Most brands come with 2 sheets. The sheets will be folded in three, so it is always easy to divide it into multiples of 3. Depending on the thickness of the puffs required, we can make 6 or 9 from one sheet. I usually roll it a bit and make out 9 from one sheet. Cut and roll, if required, into required shape.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Divide the masala into equal number of portions. Make sure that each portion is not more than 2 tbsp. If you have excess, then save it for later use.

Fill the masala in each portion of the pastry and fold it.Brush the edges with a little water and seal it. Line a cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper and grease it slightly. Arrange the prepared puffs on the sheet. Beat the egg white and brush it on the top of each puffs.

Keep the sheet on the middle rack and bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until the top turns golden brown.